


The Little Things in Between

by chenpai, exohousewarming



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: M/M, They're too natural it's like they're married!, Your daily kind of couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-02
Updated: 2017-10-02
Packaged: 2019-01-07 14:54:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12235149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/chenpai/pseuds/chenpai, https://archiveofourown.org/users/exohousewarming/pseuds/exohousewarming
Summary: Prompt number:47Side Pairings (if any):hinted!SeKaiWarnings:noneSummary:It’s their sophomore year in college, Baekhyun and Kyungsoo are roommates (again!) and their friends just can’t help but notice the little things happening between them.





	The Little Things in Between

“Hey, Sehun, I have to go, yeah?” Baekhyun said, scooping his books into his arms and shooting them into his bag. The male didn’t give his companion another glance as he hurried out of his seat, disturbing the peace in the quaint café where they were at the time.

  
Sehun was sending Baekhyun a look of disbelief as the male got ready to leave. “Seriously, why the hell am I not surprised anymore?” He deadpanned. Sehun was holding onto his cup of frappuccino, eyeing Baekhyun from the strands of his hair down to his feet as he struggled with his materials, packing away.

  
“It’s Kyungsoo.”

 

“Yeah, again: How am I not surprised? Geez, is this really how it is now? You’ve never been like this when I needed you!” He ranted.

  
With a goofy smile on, Baekhyun threw him his damp tissue paper that was wrapped around the cup of his iced mocha latte, “don’t be dramatic.” The male rolled his eyes, “Jongin’s coming in my place instead, you happy?”

  
“Just this once, you doofus.” Sehun seethed. “Fine. Go be with Kyungsoo, I swear to God Baek, you always do things at his beck and call.”

  
“Well he feeds me. If you feed me I might do the same for you.” The male shrugged.

  
Raising an eyebrow whilst still maintaining a rather stoic expression, Sehun sipped on his drink and glared at the smaller male who was then ready to step out of the cafe.

  
“Yeah, keep telling yourself that- to me this is an early sign that you are whipped.” Sehun uttered, “Go. Leave. Get out of my sight you peasant.”

  
“Whipped? The only thing needs whipping is that expression of yours.” The male teased, “Oh and, just don’t hit Jongin with your skateboard, okay? You scared the crap out of him last time, he thought he broke his nose.”

  
“That was one time!!”

  
Holding his laugh in while taking a curtsy in front of the skater, Baekhyun turned around and went on his way, half-running towards the door as his phone notified him that his Uber ride was arriving in a few seconds.

 

It was 45 minutes to 8 in the evening when Baekhyun finally managed to arrive to their dorm, the brunet was coming from a small review session he arranged with Sehun and Junmyeon. It was due to a sudden call for meeting that only Sehun came, and though they got almost nothing done, Baekhyun had had his fun talking to Sehun.

  
With a sigh, the petite male grabbed his bag and fished out his keys. Baekhyun’s eyes were drooping as he did so, feeling exhaustion finally catching up to him.

  
He was too busy rubbing his eyes that he didn’t notice the sounds coming from the other side of the door, the locks clicking to finally reveal Baekhyun’s roommate, Do Kyungsoo.

  
The male was wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses, his black sweatshirt and black jogging pants all the same attire he wore when he arrived home from class.

  
By the expression Kyungsoo had on his face, the brunet already knew that Kyungsoo had been crying again. His red nose and the fogging of his glasses was enough as a sell out; that before the older male could greet him a welcome back, Baekhyun let himself in and slightly blanketed his body over the other.

  
“I’m home, Soo…” Baekhyun murmured; he pulled himself away slightly, shrugging his backpack off so that it’d fall to the floor, at the same time allow him to look at his best friend.  
“What’s wrong? Why’d you cry?” Baekhyun asked gently.

  
Kyungsoo pursed his lips and refused to answer, shaking his head a bit in defiance.

  
Taking him back into his embrace, Baekhyun patted the older male’s shoulder gently, comforting him.

  
Kyungsoo returned the hug, burying his face as he sniffled, “... Remember… I told you I was going to watch The Guardians of the Galaxy 2?”

  
Baekhyun rolled his eyes slightly, but continued to pat the male, “Yeah?”

  
“I did today and… I’m sad. I didn’t sign up for that drama.”

  
Baekhyun patted him some more.

  
“This is your fault you doofus. You said we’d watch together but you went ahead and saw it by yourself!” Kyungsoo sobbed this time, “you didn’t even hint that it’s going to be sad like that-”

  
“Hey, you said no spoilers!” Baekhyun exclaimed as he pulled away to look at Kyungsoo’s tear-stained face this time. Pouting at the male who frowned back at him, Baekhyun wiped the streaming tears on his cheeks, “besides, if I spoiled you to it, you wouldn’t watch it at all. We still have to wait for Thor: Ragnarok. You’d get lost somehow.”

  
“Still your fault...” Kyungsoo grumbled as he turned away, walking to the dining area. Baekhyun couldn’t see it with his back turned to him, but he knew that the male cried some more before finally reaching the island counter.

  
“Go take a bath,” Kyungsoo urged, “I’ll get dinner ready.” He sniffled.

  
“Will you dry my hair afterwards?” Baekhyun asked, wiggled his eyebrows even as he smiled to himself, a little shaken awake at the mention of food.

  
“Why do you keep asking when I’m always doing it-”

  
“Just making sure you still want to do it, I’m already used to you drying my hair for me.” He shrugged, and off he went to their bedroom, completely oblivious of the fact that he just left his roommate red at the tip of his ears and the apples of his cheeks.

  
Both of them share a late dinner, with Baekhyun bringing the drinks he bought from the café to the table after his hair was dried. They eat their meal quietly with small subtle talks of what happened in their day, but would always tune down to a comfortable silence.

  
That evening, both of them head to their respective beds after wishing each other good night.

  
Baekhyun sleeps, facing the wall.

  
Kyungsoo on the other hand, sleeps looking to where Baekhyun lies.

 

. . .

 

 

Baekhyun let out a small yawn, eyes still very much shut as he chewed on his dry lips, feeling the lean body beside him turn. Lazily, the male blinked his eyes open, still feeling groggy as he took his time, very much aware that class wasn't until later in the afternoon.

  
Scratching his forearm, Baekhyun turned and draped his arm over the sleeping other. He smiles a tight-lipped one, acknowledging that his roommate had climbed into his bed again. Getting comfortable, Baekhyun allowed himself to snore back to sleep, barely feeling the latter return the embrace in his slumber.

 

The aroma of bacons and mushroom soup welcomed Baekhyun back from his much-enjoyed rest. There were traces of drool by his cheek when he found himself proper, groaning at the fact that he'd made a mess of himself. Whatever his dream was, it had to be a damn good one to get him to drool like a newborn baby. God.

  
Heading over to the bathroom to wash his face, Baekhyun took his shirt and pajamas off; putting them into the dirt pile behind the door. With a yawn, he turned the faucet and splashed water on his face, rubbing his cheeks to wake himself. He tilted his head as he stared at his reflection, his black hair seemingly unkempt. With a pout, the male grabbed his toothbrush that had a puppy holder- it stood beside the dark blue-colored one with a penguin holder.

 

Baekhyun smiled as he tapped a finger on said holder, smiling to himself as he squeezed some toothpaste onto his brush.

  
It wasn't until a few minutes of him with himself did he realize that he wasn't alone- Kyungsoo, his roommate, stood by the doorway of the bathroom.

  
“How many times have I told you to wear something before doing anything at all?” the male asked with a stoic expression.

  
”I hon'k ker. Ih noh yike I wir geh sih (I don't care. It's not like I will get sick).”

  
“Yeah because they say perverts don't get sick.” The male grumbled as he walked away.

  
Baekhyun turned the faucet once again, letting the water pour over his palm to gargle. He smiles a rectangular smile to himself; putting his toothbrush back to where he got it, the brunet turned around just in time as Kyungsoo reappeared, throwing a set of clothes towards his way.

  
Baekhyun pouted at the male, “Be thankful I caught that!” he said in a reprimanding yet whiny manner.

  
“Be thankful I even cared.” Kyungsoo teased, turning around as he gave him a half-assed smile, “come on. The food’s going to get cold.”

  
“Lemme guess.” Baekhyun called from the bathroom, yelling as he hurriedly put on his clothes for the day, “Bacon and mushroom soup!”

  
“Yeah yeah…” he heard Kyungsoo mumble from the kitchen.

  
“My favourite!” Cheered Baekhyun, “did you sa-“

  
“There in your lunchbox. Hurry up or I'm taking them out.”

  
“I'm coming!” the male yelled as he began on his feet to reach the small dining area; and like always, Kyungsoo had already prepared the table ever so neatly, their utensils sitting pretty and his bowl of soup ready for consumption.

  
“Mmh!” Baekhyun hummed as he caught a spoonful of soup. He gulped loudly and curled to himself in his seat, smiling cutely as he held onto the spoon just a few inches away from his face, “And this is why it's my favourite. Your cooking is the best, Soo. I'll never get tired of this!” Baekhyun purred.

  
In no time, the male was done with his lunch, his packed box ready for grabs as he hurriedly stuffed his books and notes into his backpack.

  
“Crap, I'll need to make a run for it. I forgot that Professor Kwon is on her period today so I'll probably be hanged upside down if I came in late.” He made a face.

  
And like that, Kyungsoo's blank expression broke as he smiled at Baekhyun's words, “I’m telling on you.”

  
“Nooo! Don't betray me!” Baekhyun said as he ran towards the door, “Okay. I'm gone for real. Don't miss me too much my Do Di-oh~”

  
“Oh shut up.” Kyungsoo said; his voice was smiling when he said it that he wasn't surprised that Baekhyun peeked back from the door.

  
“Wait for me, ‘kay?”

  
“Okay. Now leave. Take my bicycle if you have to.”

  
“I will!”

  
“Don't scratch it!” Kyungsoo yells as the male takes his leave.

 

They were in elementary when they first met, him and Baekhyun. Kyungsoo was a part of the music club, while Baekhyun was just starting with his club, the book-lover’s club.

  
They didn’t quite get along back then, always bickering when they met eyes in the hallways or when they were tasked to hand out flyers to lure joiners in, but somehow as the years passed, the bickering became friendly banters.

  
It was in one of their school year end parties when Kyungsoo actually had his first conversation with Baekhyun. Though he doesn’t quite remember it clearly, Baekhyun had vaguely said his farewells, for he was moving away, in turn, changing schools too.

  
They never established their friendship properly then, though it was slowly budding to become a great one, the distance proved difficult in allowing them to develop things further.

  
By the time Kyungsoo was entering college, he and Baekhyun had lost contact, not knowing exactly what the other was doing with their life, no hellos, no goodbyes.

 

A lot of things changed. After Kyungsoo gave up singing, turning to books, literature and the newfound love for solace, the boy had become the kind of student one doesn’t really approach. Kyungsoo preferred being alone somehow, it gave him peace, he could do whatever he wanted, go wherever he wanted to go without being too concerned about another party.

  
Friends were difficult to maintain, let alone handle; Kyungsoo has had his own trial and error, people came but they went faster than seasons that changed.

  
So by the time Fate decided it was time to allow him to run into Baekhyun again, Kyungsoo was indifferent. He no longer really minded how long he’d have someone he knew, he was fine with how things went, he was fine with going with the flow.

  
It was a mix-up in one of the dorms when they did. Kyungsoo had just settled into his assigned room when his roommate came in all sorts of energetic. The male was accompanied by someone who carried two bags and another on his back, holding a small plastic bag on the other hand. The male stumbled into the entrance way clumsily, earning a startled jump from Kyungsoo.

  
And then, just like that, behind Jongin, whom Kyungsoo was yet to know the name of at the time, stood the very familiar-looking young boy.

 

His rectangular smile reminded Kyungsoo of him, the striking friend he used to exchange childish banters with.

  
“H-hi…” the first male who came in uttered painstakingly. The male was all arms and limbs with his bags and the plastic bag seemingly have been torn, revealing a couple of chips and drinks in it.

  
Kyungsoo, ever so indifferent of his surroundings, simply blinked, crouched over and picked up the snacks. He muttered a hello back to the male, briefly meeting eyes with him.  
By the time Kyungsoo straightened himself up to come face to face yet again with Byun Baekhyun, the male had carried a look of surprise, disbelief marring his face as his smile grew even more. Kyungsoo felt a pound against his chest, a bit cautious of what would come out of the male. It was too striking of a familiarity for the boy standing in front of him to not be the same kid.

  
And surprise, surprise. Byun Baekhyun without much change from how he was as a kid, ran past the door, invading Kyungsoo’s personal space, his little circle.  
“Do Kyungsoo?!” Baekhyun asked him excitedly.

  
Despite the fact that Kyungsoo neither acknowledged nor denied the words, Kyungsoo knew that from then on, Baekhyun’s loud-mouth would be an everyday encounter.

 

One year of Baekhyun pestering him on the daily, Kyungsoo’s quiet life took a complete opposite turn. The expected silence was chased away, his peace disintegrating to nothing as Baekhyun would, time and time again yell his name- from across the cafeteria, or the gym; Kyungsoo couldn’t hide himself from Byun Baekhyun.

  
Slowly, it became Kyungsoo’s kind of normal, slowly, it became Kyungsoo’s comfort place, a place where Byun Baekhyun was.

  
Along with Baekhyun, Kyungsoo gained a few more friends then. Oh Sehun, a second year ‘majoring in nothing’ which earned Baekhyun a smack on the head as he introduced him, was one of the students known to many as ‘that boy who skates whenever he can’; and then there was Junmyeon, a third year and a member of the student council, Jongin who Kyungsoo already knew, was also a second year; he’s in the dance organization which the group would watch every Thursday; and finally there was Park Chanyeol- Baekhyun’s best friend, they said.

  
Park Chanyeol was someone Kyungsoo didn’t quite feel at ease with. Maybe it was the height he first thought, or how opposite they were from each other- how similar he and Baekhyun were.

  
It was quite weird to admit to himself at first but when he started spending time with Baekhyun and his friends, Kyungsoo felt out of place, like he was barging in on something, squeezing himself in a place where he wouldn’t fit in.

  
Park Chanyeol somehow… He felt like a threat-- for Kyungsoo who was used to being on the sidelines, seeing Baekhyun happy with people he considered as strangers was… unsettling, for the lack of better terms.

  
Kyungsoo knew, had Baekhyun not moved away back then, maybe by now he would be standing in Chanyeol’s shoes.

 

. . .

 

 

Baekhyun let out a sigh as he dropped his books into his locker. There was a small piece of paper there, he noticed, another one of them slips where a phone number was messily scribbled. With a pout, Baekhyun picked it up and crumpled it. He frowned, the pout remaining on his face.

  
“Another one?” Baekhyun heard to his side. Sehun stood there mirroring his emotion inside: Dead.

  
“Yeah. It’s the second this week.”

  
“Girls are getting brave, huh?” Sehun slowly grinned, “you haven’t been dating anyone in secret have you?”

  
“Psh, no of course not, you know I’m-”

  
Sehun nodded before cutting in, “Right. Kyungsoo. You have Kyungsoo. Why did I even try to ask about girls, you two are literally stuck to each other every day. I bet you sleep in one bed together.” The male thought out loud.

  
And Baekhyun, quite taken aback by the unfiltered words coming out of the younger’s mouth found himself deaf to his surroundings as he remembered the first time he and Kyungsoo met again.

 

Baekhyun wasn’t going to deny that he was awfully surprised by the twist of events. He’d just asked Jongin to assist him to his dorm room when the eventful moment happened.

  
Jongin, being his neighbor back home had always told him how the university had a great environment. When the male graduated and began going to college, Baekhyun had visited at least twice before he stopped- for he decided that he was going to attend the same university.

  
Finding Kyungsoo exactly in the same place was just a cherry on top.

  
To Baekhyun, he remembered Kyungsoo as a snotty brat in their younger years. He always dressed tidy, his hair combed in place, and his posture enviable. Baekhyun used to compare himself to Kyungsoo like that when they were younger, and to find out that the male actually had different expressions was a knowledge only a few others knew then.

  
Kyungsoo was always this happy kid, he smiled a lot and cried a few, but he never taunted, mocked or yelled at anyone before. Aside from Baekhyun himself.

  
It was the beginning of a genuinely fun year for him when it began.

  
Getting to know Kyungsoo only happened when they finally separated ways, Baekhyun had taken up judo in his new school when they got in contact again, however due to trainings and more opportunities that came in his way, he lost many chances, a lot of time to really establish the friendship that the both of them tried to keep afloat.

  
So when Baekhyun crossed paths with him again, he made sure that he wasn’t going to let Do Kyungsoo be lonely, an expression he became aware of when they began rooming together.

 

In their first year, Baekhyun had to try a lot of things to get Kyungsoo to hang out with him. Kyungsoo, who was majoring in English Literature, which Baekhyun found surprising, was too silent from how he remembered him back then.

  
But it came out gradually, spending time together, Baekhyun began seeing so much of him as a kid. Kyungsoo’s heart-shaped lips when he smiled genuinely, it was one of the things that Baekhyun remembered greatly about him.

  
By observation, Baekhyun saw how much different Kyungsoo had turned out to be from how he was. He liked to be alone, which Baekhyun prevented him from being, he doesn’t give an opinion unless asked, and most of the time he was on his earphones, ignoring the bustling life that surrounds him.

  
It was only around autumn last year when Baekhyun finally managed to get Kyungsoo to relax around his friends. When Baekhyun told Kyungsoo how he met each one of them, how they all actually began to form that bond together.

  
One night at the back of the dorm building, in the open yard together on a holiday. It was that one night when Baekhyun decided that he wanted Kyungsoo to be around more, to talk to him more and to grow closer with his own friends more.

  
It was a one-time thing, Baekhyun swore to himself when he asked Junmyeon to set up that gathering.

  
He was doing it to catch up with him like old times, Baekhyun thought to himself.

 

 

. . .

 

 

“Hey, Soo?”

  
“Yeah?” Said male uttered. Kyungsoo was in the kitchen, pouring the chicken broth from one bowl to another.

  
“Do you wanna come watch me spar tomorrow?” The male asked. Kyungsoo could hear the tension in his voice, as he cleared his throat and shifted on the couch, “It just turns out that we were allowed to bring a few friends to the competition and they gave me complimentary tickets, so…”

 

“Oh? You do? That’s nice.” Kyungsoo said.

  
“Ah, yeah. Thanks.” The male chuckled. “Ah, about the tickets…”

  
“Listen, Baek…” he finally said, turning around, “I just, I’m not quite sure if that would be okay...”

  
“Oh.” Baekhyun deflated in his seat, “It’s just… I noticed we haven’t really spent time together ever since we became roommates, and thought that maybe we could, you know, get to know each other. Again. For old time’s sake.” He muttered dejectedly.

  
Kyungsoo smiled at his words, so Baekhyun noticed, he thought.

  
With a contented sigh, Kyungsoo walked towards him and said his piece, “Sorry, Baek. I know, I noticed we haven’t really talked to each other much. It’s almost been a while since we met again and I… I’m sorry if it looked like I wasn’t making any efforts, or that I made you think of anything bad but really it’s not that. I just really prefer to be by myself- by nature.” He added, “and… For your invitation, I was just worried that you might not have enough tickets for your friends.”

  
“Huh? Friends? Oh, they don’t really come to the tournaments much. It’s usually just Sehun and Chanyeol but I thought it would be better if you come along.” The male said again, this time hopefully.

  
It was as if Baekhyun didn’t really hear all the things that Kyungsoo said, because as soon as he confirmed that he would go, the male whooped and danced on his seat, “then we’ll meet at the university gym? Do you want me to pick you up from class? Or? You’ll go right? Right?” Baekhyun went on.

  
And Kyungsoo laughed at the fact that indeed, Byun Baekhyun was still the same boy that he knew before. If not for the way Kyungsoo’s cheeks slowly became warm as he saw the sparkle in Baekhyun’s eyes, Kyungsoo would have already made up his mind about not going.

  
“Yeah, sure.” he went on auto-pilot, “I’d love to go with you to the gym.”

 

Baekhyun arrived in their dorm, the lights turned off with only the television turned on. It was Chanyeol whom he found sitting on the floor, staring at him wide-eyed as though he didn’t expect anyone.

  
“Shh…” Chanyeol gestured. His friend pointed towards the couch, where Baekhyun saw a sleeping Kyungsoo.

  
Nodding, Baekhyun quietly put his things down and walked over.

  
Chanyeol got up and also in a quiet manner, began to carry two bowls to the kitchen. He took his stuff and walked to the door where Baekhyun followed him to, but not before tucking Kyungsoo in with a blanket.

 

Baekhyun saw the tall male out the door, closing it quietly behind him before the brunet finally managed to see the teasing look on his friend.

  
“What.”

  
“I was going to invite you and Kyungsoo to the convention but he told me you guys will pass because you’re participating on another competition,” he shrugged “other than that, what I’d like to ask is: Do you always do that?” Chanyeol began. The expression on his face was funny and annoying at the same time.

  
“Do what?”  
”That.” Chanyeol nodded towards the door, “Tucking him in? If not for the light coming from the television, I’d have thought you kissed him or something.”

  
“Yeah and so?” Baekhyun teased back, “he’s my roommate! Of course I’d take care of him.”

  
“Yeah, Baek. But have you actually done that for any of us when we’d sleep over?”

  
“What? No.” Baekhyun guffawed. “Why would I?”

  
“Exactly.” Chanyeol grinned, this time suggestively.

  
“Shut up, Yoda. Mind your own business.” Baekhyun said this time, somehow catching what the male was implying.

  
“... You’re really saying that now? You’re literally blushing, Baek. Your face already said everything before I even asked.”

  
“So what?”

  
Chanyeol raised an eyebrow, urging another response out of him.

  
“Ugh! I swear I’m going to bash your head with Sehun!”

  
“Eng! Try again.” Chanyeol teased, this time laughing at his expression.

  
“Shut up, Park.”

 

 

. . .

 

 

It was only a small tournament back then. Baekhyun was included in the lineup for the sparring division and even though he knew that he’s been doing well since he joined the team, he was worrying over two things: 1) He might suck 2) in front of Kyungsoo.

  
It was the first time he ever invited someone personally, usually the ones who’d insist to watch were Chanyeol and Sehun, always taking the tickets from him. The petite never really minded that, just that this time, the two won’t be able to make it because of their own activities.

  
Baekhyun thought it would be a good chance to get Kyungsoo to go see him.

  
“Hey, Baek?” The brunet overheard as he laid in bed, unable to sleep as he continued to worry.

  
Baekhyun pondered if he should respond, letting out an unsettled “y-yeah?”

  
“Are you okay? You’re nervous, aren’t you?” He heard his roommate utter. There was a sense of familiarity in his tone, and Baekhyun, not really thinking into it found himself nodding along, admitting the weird pounding in his chest as he thought of the tournament. He had to say, he never really felt this nervous over sparring competitions but the fact that this was a tournament scared the living crap out of him.

  
It was a few moments of him thinking to himself when Baekhyun heard Kyungsoo get up from his bed. Baekhyun turned over to find the male walking to his side of the room.

  
The male blinked when Kyungsoo did; pulling his blanket, the male wordlessly slipped into bed with him, his arms wide open.

  
“Here.” Kyungsoo said.

  
Baekhyun stared at him in the darkness, “what?”

  
“A hug.” The male said. Baekhyun could practically feel Kyungsoo roll his eyes as he said it. “It helps. I used to get stage fright before singing competitions and really. This helps.”

  
“You hug people in bed?” Baekhyun thought out loud.

  
“No.” Again, Kyungsoo said, though this time his voice was smiling. “I used to lay in bed with tons of pillows. Anxiety, they say. But I think this helps. At least.”

  
Rapidly, Baekhyun blinked at his roommate before he slowly scooted over.

  
It felt nice, being in Kyungsoo’s arms. It was warm, and safe, and very nice, Baekhyun thought. He could get used to this.

  
Kyungsoo held him all night, his heart slowly settling. And when Baekhyun got comfortable, he found himself slowly drifting to sleep as Kyungsoo patted his back gently and hummed a song to him.

 

Baekhyun woke up fairly early that day, and when he did, he woke up with Kyungsoo beside him, sleeping soundly.

  
The male had his back turned from him, but slowly moved to face him. Baekhyun smiled as he watched Kyungsoo sleep.

  
He found it rather amazing that he and Kyungsoo found each other again, that they were there, together in one place.

  
Smiling to himself, Baekhyun watched the older male some more. “A hug, huh.” He murmured, recalling what transpired that night. He never expected for Kyungsoo to do that.

  
It was another new side to him that Baekhyun’s found out, and the brunet was elated.

  
Baekhyun poked the tip of his roommate’s nose as he laid there, stifling a laugh as Kyungsoo scrunched his face. Seconds later, the male stretched his arms, turned towards Baekhyun and greeted him without opening his eyes.

  
“Good morning,” Kyungsoo murmured quietly, “give me 5 minutes more and the…”

  
Baekhyun watched the male smile heartily as he did this, as he turned over to drape an arm and a leg over him and he thought that they should do this occasionally-- sleeping together.  
Again, Baekhyun stifled a laughter as he thought of it…

  
Maybe waking up next to Kyungsoo wouldn’t be so bad.

  
Baekhyun’s pounding heart was back-- and no, it wasn’t because of the tournament.

 

 

. . .

 

 

They were having lunch at the cafeteria when Baekhyun arrived. He was short of breath, heaving with sweat all over his face.

  
Kyungsoo, focused on the male’s situation, shot up when Baekhyun came to him directly.

  
It was obvious by the way the brunet was still dressed up in his judo uniform that Baekhyun came from the gym.

  
“H-hey…” Baekhyun uttered in riddles.

  
Kyungsoo barely acknowledged the greeting, proceeding to grab the towel he had in his bag and wiped Baekhyun’s face.

  
He was supposed to watch the competition that day, but Baekhyun’s tickets were missing before the week came up.

  
Dabbing Baekhyun’s sweaty face with the towel, Kyungsoo busily rummaged through his things with his other hand. When he finally felt the fabric in his hand, the petite pulled it out and handed the set of clothes to the brunet.

  
“Go change your clothes. Take the towel with you and dry yourself.” Kyungsoo said sternly.

  
Baekhyun smiled at him apologetically, for Kyungsoo was mildly disappointed about the lost tickets. He’d been watching Baekhyun’s sparring prior to the competition and wanted to see its results, but alas, he didn’t.

  
“Aren’t you going to help me?” Baekhyun still dared to ask.

  
With a stoic expression, Kyungsoo crossed his arms and slowly shook his head before he felt scrutinizing gazes stabbing at his back.

  
Dramatically, Kyungsoo turned to look with Baekhyun doing the same.

 

And there their friends were, all eyes on them. They hadn’t noticed it at all, but the ruckus died down the moment Kyungsoo rushed forward to wipe Baekhyun down.

  
“Get a room, you two!” Jongin hollered.

  
Kyungsoo raised an eyebrow.

  
“Seriously, I wouldn’t have noticed until you pointed that out,” they all heard Jongin mutter to Sehun in a mocking manner, “we could be like them in the future, you know. Plain ol’ boring couple.”

  
Sehun merely stared at them as he allowed Jongin to voice the whole group’s thoughts.

  
“They’re not even a couple yet!” Chanyeol hissed from the side, eliciting a giggle from Jongin and a chuckle from Sehun, whose eyes rang the same words he’d been telling Baekhyun: Whipped.

 

Kyungsoo’s heart somewhat pounded at their words… just what the--

  
“Just go with him, Soo.” Junmyeon said finally.

  
Completely aware of the heat gathering on both of his cheeks, Kyungsoo looked down before he nodded. Quickly, he grabbed his bags and left, oblivious about how Baekhyun stayed behind to curse Chanyeol and Jongin, even Sehun to kingdom come.

 

 

. . .

 

Kyungsoo hurried his way to the dorms, his heart pounding at their words. He hadn’t really given much thought of the constant teases the guys give them, but lately Kyungsoo had been hearing it more on the daily.

  
Feelings weren’t a joke. At least to him they weren’t. For someone like Kyungsoo who lived in the shadows, he’s never really considered himself as anything more than a friend to Baekhyun.  
But it wasn’t wrong to begin to hope as time passed. It wasn’t wrong to let oneself feel the little adrenaline episodes he gets when Baekhyun would come and act chummy with him. Though Kyungsoo has never really been the receiving end of such warmth before, he accepted it without a whim because it was Baekhyun.

  
Because it was Baekhyun, Kyungsoo knew that whether or not those actions meant something more, he knew that he’d been happy to experience them regardless.

  
But here he was now.

  
He’s in way too deep and his feelings are probably starting to show.

  
Even Junmyeon who wasn’t quick to notice things due to his constant busy schedule began to ask Kyungsoo questions.

  
Questions that he ended up thinking about every night while he bore holes on Baekhyun’s back as he slept without noticing. They say people who can’t sleep at night are constantly being thought about by the person who likes them, but Kyungsoo wondered if Baekhyun’s ever gotten the message.

 

Baekhyun’s heart pounded as he stalked Kyungsoo from a distance. He didn’t know if their friends’ words has had an effect, or if Kyungsoo’s ticked off because he seemed to be aiming for their dorm now rather than the planned changing room.

  
Though he knew the underlying meaning to their words, Baekhyun has never really thought of things that way until they began talking about it. It wasn’t recent, he knew. From way back in their freshman year, even Sehun had been vocally wondering about his and Kyungsoo’s relationship. But Baekhyun for a long time now has had a feeling, that he and Kyungsoo, whatever the closeness they’ve developed was, had always been something wonderful.

  
Baekhyun doesn’t realize that they’ve made it to their room, for when he did, it was only because of Kyungsoo’s hand on his own.

  
The brunet looks up from their entwined fingers and he gets pulled from the doorway towards their bedroom.

  
Kyungsoo has him sit up on the edge of his bed while the petite male disappears into their washroom, rummaging through the medicine cabinet.

  
“Soo?” Baekhyun calls.

  
The male hasn’t said a word since the cafeteria.

  
When Baekhyun doesn’t get a response, he stands up with a groan only to fall back down as Kyungsoo pops back in, carrying a small first aid kit.

  
“Don’t move too much,” Kyungsoo murmurs when he reaches him.

  
The male begins to unpack the bandages, cotton and a bottle of solution.

  
Baekhyun watches his roommate as though it was the first time that Kyungsoo’s done it back in freshman year.

  
”What would you do without me?” Kyungsoo used to ask him, but Baekhyun’s never really given him an answer to that, choosing to hiss and react to the stingy sensation to avoid the big elephant in the room.

  
As Kyungsoo dabs a cotton on the side of his lip, not even knowing there was a bruise on it, Baekhyun twitches and Kyungsoo comes closer, focused on him.

  
Baekhyun found himself blinking a few times, feeling the atmosphere shift, the silence in their room overbearing, his heartbeat erratic in his ribcage.

  
“S-soo?” Baekhyun stutters.

  
Kyungsoo simply changes his focus and their eyes meet; their position is awkward given that Kyungsoo has a leg over the mattress while the other is prompted to the floor supporting him as he leans over to Baekhyun.

  
Baekhyun’s back was as straight as a board.

  
“Hm?”

  
“You’ve been… awfully silent.”

  
“Yeah.” Kyungsoo simply mutters.

  
“Are you angry?”

  
Kyungsoo blinks and dabs the cotton some more before turning away to grab a band-aid. Before the petite could do anything further though, Baekhyun gathered his courage and held Kyungsoo’s hand, the latter obviously startled by his action.

  
“At a time like this, you’d ask me what I’d do without you,” Baekhyun doesn’t even know what made him begin as he did, “and I’d usually laugh it off…”

  
“But you know, Soo, honestly… I don’t know. Ever since then, I stopped thinking about myself without you beside me.”

  
Baekhyun may have been feeling things when he felt the quick thumps of Kyungsoo’s pulse, when he said that; it was exactly mirroring his own.

  
When he urges Kyungsoo to look at him, Baekhyun feels his breath trapped in his throat for he finds a new one.

  
With slightly teary eyes and an obvious tint of pink on both his cheeks, Baekhyun finds a new expression on Do Kyungsoo.

 

Baekhyun’s heart does a tumble when Kyungsoo smiled.

  
Indeed, those heart-shaped lips of his was something he’d never in the life of him forget.

 

 

. . .

 

 

“And here we thought they’ve reached the all time role of being a lame old couple.” Jongin rolls his eyes as he arrives at their table; the cafeteria has been transformed to look like a club, with different spotlights replacing the incandescent ones, music blared loudly and many other students gathered at the centre which was turned into a dance floor; being members of the labour force who made it all happen, they were all given the free time to do whatever they want.

  
Baekhyun was seated beside Kyungsoo who had two glasses of drinks in front of them.

  
Kyungsoo was silent but obviously beginning to feel the effects of the alcohol while Baekhyun was red on both cheeks, his eyes a pair of twinkling stars as he looked up at Kyungsoo.  
Jongin along with Sehun, cringed at the two.

  
Especially when Baekhyun began to whisper things on Kyungsoo’s ear, even going in to wrap his hand around Kyungsoo’s waist and leaning on his shoulder as they silently begin a debate of who liked who first.

  
Sehun faked a hurl while Chanyeol walked past them, hollering to put a ring on it.


End file.
